Hire a Moving Company or Rent a Moving Truck?

Something that everyone who is moving has to make a decision on is whether they should hire a moving company or rent a moving truck. There is the third option of renting a moving pod, but since that sort of lays outside of the scope of what we are currently discussing we will leave that one aside for now.

If you decide to hire a moving company or rent a moving truck there are both pros and cons for either decision. One is going to be inherently more expensive while the other is going to be inherently more work. And so the initial part of the decision as to whether to hire a moving company or rent a moving truck really comes down to convenience, how much you are willing to spend, and how much work you can put in yourself.

In this part of the moving help guide, we will look into why an individual would decide to hire a moving company over renting a moving truck and vice versa. This information will hopefully help guide you in your decision making on this part of your moving process and make the overall experience that much easier.

Why Hire a Moving Company?

When it comes to hiring a mover the price that you will actually wind up paying depends on a number of factors. Many of these factors can be limited if you do not choose to add on additional services and just opt for traditional moving services, but with that said they can add up rather quickly. The factors that will change the amount that you are charged for a move include:

•     The size of your move
•     How far you will be moving
•     Whether you need packing services
•     Furniture assembling and disassembling
•     Whether you need storage for your stuff

All of these different factors can create a large difference in the amount that it costs you to move. With that said, the average local move for a 2 or 3 bedroom home in the United States costs around $1,250 and an out of state move costs an average of $4,890.

Now it may seem that spending $1,250 to move a 2 or 3 bedroom home locally is a lot but when you take into consideration how much stuff is actually in a home of this size it begins to make sense. The calculation for this price is based on the fact that roughly 7,500 pounds of material possessions will need to be relocated in a move of this size. That means that if you choose to move these items on your own then you will be lugging 7,500 pounds out of your old house, into the back of a truck, then out of the truck and into your new home. If you have ever moved yourself before then you know just how unappealing this is, and why it is worth the money to hire a moving company.

When it comes to moving out of state the price rises dramatically if you hire a moving company, but with that said the benefits also increase dramatically. Packing up all of your belongings and taking them to another town nearby is a hassle in and of itself, but when you add to this equation the need to drive a thousand miles or so with that truck full of stuff you create a scenario that is rather stressful, not to mention physically demanding.

However, if you hire a moving company all you have to do is get your home ready to be packed into the truck and then drive or fly to wherever you are moving to and the truck will be waiting for you. You don’t have to worry about driving a large 26’ truck on interstate highways, or navigating parking lots, not to mention the cost of gas as well. It should also be stated that when you rent a moving truck you may be subject to mileage fees, which could be anywhere from $.59 to $.99 a mile, which over the course of a thousand miles really adds up.

With all of that said what it really comes down to with hiring a moving company is the fact that your move will be that much easier. Yes, you will have to coordinate with the moving company as to the day and time of everything and you will have to make sure that they pack the truck in a safe manner, but you won’t have to spend hours packing and unpacking a truck. Since they are professionally and most good moving companies come with a few guys, the whole move really won’t take that long, and you’ll be able to sit back and oversee the move rather than physically have to do anything yourself.

We go further in-depth into this topic here if you still have unanswered questions as to what you can expect if you hire a moving company and we also break down the costs a little more in detail as well.

Why Rent a Moving Truck?

As glorious as it can be to have a moving company handle your move there are certain circumstances where it makes more sense to just rent a moving truck, get a few friends together and tackle the move on your own. For starters not everyone has the money to hire a moving company and if it is a local move you can accomplish the same thing by renting a moving truck and spending $50 or $60, rather then a few hundred or a thousand dollars. This dramatic difference in price is really what makes most people choose to just rent a moving truck and do the move themselves.

In particular, if you are only moving a few miles away and you do not live in a large home, but rather in a 1 bedroom apartment then you probably want to just rent a moving truck and take care of the move by yourself. If you go this route, and if you have access to your new place before the lease on your old place is up then you will be able to start moving smaller objects via your car and then just move the larger objects on the day you rent the truck.

While no one really likes moving, in fact it is actually one of the worst things that you have to do as an adult, there is something to be said about renting a moving truck and controlling the entirety of your move. For starters, you won’t have to worry about how the moving company will be handling your furniture or boxed possessions as you will be the one moving them. For some people, this is the main reason why they choose to just do the move themselves, because they know that they will get more frustrated having to oversee the move, rather then just doing it themselves.

Now when it comes to moving cross country or any long distance for that matter, renting a moving truck over hiring a moving company has its pros and cons. If you decide to rent a truck and do it yourself then logistically it can be a little more difficult, however, it can also be viewed as an adventure.

For instance, if you have a family and you are making the move cross country you can use it as an opportunity to see large portions of the country that you may not have visited otherwise. Granted you will be doing so in a large moving truck, but to be honest, after a few hours of driving the truck you will begin to get used to it and become very comfortable with driving it. This is something that is missed if you hire a moving company to do the move and so many people who are seeking this type of experience will opt for renting a truck and doing the move as a family unit.

Once again we go further in-depth with this topic here, breaking down the cost that you can expect to incur from moving different sized homes various distances, as well at what size truck you should use for each of these different types of moves. These are important things to know before going out and renting a moving truck, as you don’t want to find out on the day of your move that the truck you rented is too small for all of your stuff.

I Still Don’t Know What To Do!

If you have read through all of this information and you are still not sure if you should do the move yourself or just hire a moving company don’t panic. We offer a lot of other information in this guide that will hopefully clarify some of your concerns or questions and allow you to make an educated decision as to what is best for you and your family.

However, it is also important to note that if you are unsure as to what to do, it is sometimes best to take a step back from the situation and relax some. If you have the money to use a moving company and it is not going to make a dramatic difference to your life then you truly do not need to be stressing about this decision because, if you choose to do the move yourself that’s the right choice or if you choose to hire a moving company, that is the right choice. At the end of the day it is about what you are most comfortable with and what is going to make your move the easiest. It is very easy to get over-stressed during a move so remember to sometimes take a step back and try to enjoy the process.